


Birds of a Feather

by cheetoskittle



Series: The Brickowski Brothers [1]
Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: Angst, Bad Haircuts, Cop Case, Dysfunctional Family, Fainting, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Hospitals, Kid Fic, Plant Pots, Raptors, Robbery, Seeds, Yes fight for your affection!!!!, but for like one chapter, but still angst??, its really light, no beta we die like men, written to the tune of acoustic Radioactive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-11-24 01:52:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheetoskittle/pseuds/cheetoskittle
Summary: Take one look at the apartment building in the center of Bricksburg and you’ll see a lot of things. But some things stand out against the bunch; for one big example- the Brickowski Brothers.The set of twins that rocked the world of the apartment’s residents nearly every day.At first glance, they’re just two delinquents. But look closer...And you’ll see they have some stories to tell.Strange stories, but still- stories.





	1. I’m a reckless mistake

**Author's Note:**

> What’s up frickers I’m back and with another AU I made up on tumblr!! Buckle ur seatbelts bc this one actually has a rough storyline!! Woohoo!!

**February 18, 2014**

**South Bricksburg**

 

”Are you sure you want to go on with this? Remember, you’re going to have  _twins_.” The doctor said, looking into the woman’s eyes very seriously.

She looked back. “I’m one-hundred percent sure about this! Do you think I waited NINE MONTHS only to give up now that I know I’m gonna have two kids?” The doctor looked to her, then to the clipboard in his hands.

” _One-hundred percent_? I’m asking these questions for your good  _and_ the second baby, Ms Brickowski.” He added, once he’d looked over the papers. “If we go through, there’s a very big chance something  _will_ go wrong.”

Once again, she was persistent. “I’m going to go through with this. My husband is out there, and we both agreed we’d go through with whatever it took.”

The doctor nodded. “We’ll do it, then. Just be prepared if something does go wrong, okay?”

She smiled. “I’ll be ready for anything.”

The doctor looked to the nurse, who had been sitting in a chair towards the back of the room. “Take her to the room. Get the others ready for the operation.”

The nurse nodded, then stood up. He walked, a spring in his step, to the door. “Come on, now!” He said to Ms Brickowski. “We don’t wanna be late for the operation!” 

She stood up from the chair she’d been sitting in and followed as the man led her down the main hallway.

”So, you just found out you’re gonna have twins, huh?” The nurse asked as they rounded a corner. They were walking very slow, since this appointment had been one of the last she was supposed to have gone to.

”Yep. Apparently the other one formed some time ago and was hidden from every camera the doctors used.” 

The nurse whistled. “ _Dang_. You didn’t know till today that you were gonna have the operation, too?”

She grinned. “Yeah. But I’m fine with this. It’ll be great to have these two-“ she tapped her belly, “-out of me so I can actually  _do_ stuff.”

The nurse laughed. “You’re funny! What’s your name, anyway? I’m kinda new here.”

She smiled and looked at the young man.  “Alex.”

The nurse repeated her name under his breath before stopping in front of a big door labeled “OPERATION ROOM”. “This is where I think I was supposed to take you. I’ll go get your husband and tell him the news.”

And with that, the nurse was gone.

Alex Brickowski was left there to enter the poeration room, where doctors were waiting for her. This was apparently going to be a long operation, and they got her ready in a flash.

 

The next thing she knew, she was waking up. Alex was, to put it short, tired. Very, very tired. And it really did feel like she’d given a complicated birth.

”Hey!” She heard a voice from next to her bedside. It was her husband, Liam.

”They’re awesome!” He said, eyes bright with excitement. He was always like this, ready to be happy about anything.

”Were there any complications?” Alex asked. She wanted to know, after all the doctor told her how many hours before.

Liam looked into her eyes. “The doctors have been monitoring them. Nothings wrong so far!” He said happily, pointing over to where there were a few doctors with clipboards, looking over two small bundles on an enclosed table.

”What’re their names?” Alex asked, expecting an answer. 

Liam looked surprised. “Oh! The boys? Their names!”

Before the whole operation, Alex had thuroughly explained that she would NOT name the kids. Why? Because she SUCKED at it. So Liam had been handed the naming duties, and he hadn’t thought of names yet.

He frantically looked around. “Hold up. Okay, give me a letter!” He was literally sweating.

Alex chuckled. “R.” She answered, giving in to his name game.

Liam concentrated hard. “R, r...” he chanted, looking deep into his mind for names that started with R.

”R... ry.... RYAN!” He shouted, starting a chorus of shushes from the doctors. “Let’s name one of them Ryan!” He said, quieter this time. “Okay, give me another letter!”

Alex thought up another one quickly. “E.”

Liam laughed, easily thinking up a name. He was good at the name game once it got started. “Emmet! We’ll name the other one Emmet! They’re both boys, so it’s good!”

Alex smiled. She wanted to go to sleep now. Liam saw her tiredness and said goodbye, walking over to where the doctors were monitoring his kids.

Little did both of them know that Ryan and Emmet would become some of the most infamous kids in all of Bricksburg. For now, they were just their sweet little angels.

But nothing can stay sweet forever.

———

**June 12, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

It was a hot summer day. 

Actually, nearly all days in. Rucksburg were hot. So let’s just say it was a normal summer day.

It was a normal summer day that was about to be wrecked by the twin terrors that Center Apartment’s residents knew as the Brickowski Brothers.

The Brickowski Brothers, to put it simply, were the most dangerous ten year olds the apartment building’s residents had ever encountered. Since moving there nine years ago, the brothers had cause nothing short of  _a steaming heap of trouble_.

Today was just an average day, then.

 

On the roof of the building, Vitruvius, the oldest resident, was watering his bonsai garden. To him, keeping them alive during the summer was his greatest achievement. The pots were lined up carefully on the edge of the roof, just barely hanging off the bricks. 

Nothing was worth it without a challenge to Vitruvius.

As he watered his plants with a garden hose set to the very lowest level, the door leading to the roof slammed open. The old man jumped, nearly knocking over his bonsais.

From behind, Vitruvius heard small footsteps. Only one kid in the whole building opened doors like that but walked so differently.

It was one of the Brickowski Brothers. (He didn’t know which one. They were hard to tell apart.)

The brother stepped closer to the old man’s plants, eyes open wide.

Vitruvius couldn’t hold back his smile when the kid let out a gasp.

”Ooooh! I never knew you had PLANTS up here!” The brother said excitedly. Without turning around, Citruvius could practically see the ten year old’s jumps.

”How’d you get them up here?” The brother asked as he got closer, slowly edging to the plants.

”Hey, Hey!” Vitruvius shouted as the young boy reached out to touch one of his small trees. “Don’t do that! You could damage it!”

The kid looked devastated. “I was just trying to help...” 

Vitruvius groaned. He was so GOOD at guilt tripping, it was unreal. 

The kid frowned, then turned around to leave the roof.

That was then he accidentally knocked his elbow into one of the pots.

The pot that was on the edge.

It fell.

All the way down.

Vitruvius couldn’t speak as he saw one of his prized trees fa and crash into a million pieces on the street below, only to be run over by a semi truck.

”RYAN!” He screamed, to the boy who was trying to run away.

The last thing he heard from the boy for three days was him shouting, as he closed the roof’s door shut, “MY NAME’S EMMET!”

Oh. So this was _Emmet,_ not the other brother.

Like stayed before, they were hard to tell apart. And they were EQUALLY annoying and destructive.

 

”But why can’t I take your car?”

This brother was Ryan. Or Rex. He didn’t like being called Ryan.

It wasn’t cool enough.

”You can’t take my car because it’s mine... I’ve told you this a million times...” Dave said, exasperated. “I can’t go to the beach without my car.”

Rex frowned. “You can walk, you know.” For a ten year old, he sure was way more  courageous than his brother.

Dave wasn’t having this, though.

”YOU’RE TEN! WHY WOULD YOU NEED A CAR?!” He shouted, desperate to get away from the brother in front of him an zoom away in his car. His only goal for today had been to not have an encounter with one of the Brothers, and he’d already failed.

”I need a car to get a raptor, duh!” Rex said, rolling his eyes. “They have a dinosaur exhibit at the museum and I’m gonna steal a raptor!”

Dave sighed. He’d never get outta here at this rate. “You know they... don’t have raptors, right? They’re EXTINCT.”

Rex groaned. “I don’t CARE if they stink or not! I want a raptor!” 

“Do you have ears? I said EXTINCT, not STINK!” Dave said, looking around, only to find the parking garage empty. He was all alone in this battle.

”Blah, blah, adult words! I DON’T CARE!” Rex shouted, voice echoing in the huge building. He was a lot more mean than your average ten year old, you could give him that.

From behind, Dave could feel something searching his pockets. “HEY!” He yelled, turning around. Rex had, somehow, gotten around him and was searching for the surfer’s car keys. 

“No! Just, NO!” Dave said, marching away. He could go to the breach some other time. Now, he was going to got to his apartment and lock the door so that Rex couldn’t get in.

Rex laughed. “Haha! I WIN!”

Dave didn’t care. As long as he didn’t run into anyone else, he could care less if Rex won the freaking lottery.

”Suit yourself! I got your car!” Dave heard.

Checking his pockets, he found nothing.

What he did hear was Rex opening up hai car doors.

”HOLD UP!” Dave screeched. 

 

Yeah, not everyone else’s average summer day.

But it was theirs.

And they had to deal with it.

It wouldn’t be easy, but they’d do it.


	2. I’m a cold night’s intake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rex tries to escape apartment arrest, and Emmet finds something that’s only his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back and I’m gonna work in part four of the cop AU lmao

**June 13, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

_”Oooooh, you can’t doooo that,  Ryan, you’re just a kiiiid, you can’t driveee...”_

Rex was currently scaling the fifth floor of his apartment building. 

He wasn’t supposed to be doing it, of course. He couldn’t do ANYTHING when he was grounded. If he wasn’t stuck on apartment arrest, he’d be fine and good.

But now he was grounded for a WEEK.

All because he’d been ‘verbally assaulting’ Surfer Dave.

What kind of reason for a week of apartment arrest was THAT? Rex had been trying to get his RAPTOR. A real, live raptor! And Dave had been keeping it away from him!

Rex nearly slipped off the windowsill he was hanging on to, barely catching himself from going SPLAT on the floor.

”Dangit!” He yelled, knuckles going white from the strength it took to keep himself upright. If only he’d been able to go out the front door of his place, but NO, the only way out without being seen was through the outer window.

It was SO unfair.

He was going to turn ELEVEN next year! That was old enough to drive a car, right? He didn’t know, of course, since the teachers at his school didn’t tell him ANYTHING.

As far as Rex was concerned, he’d been grounded on false charges. Whatever those were. 

“Stupid ad, showing me the raptor I know I can’t GET...” he mumbled, shifting his weight so he could take a leap to the window below. Only four more, and he would be on the floor. Then he could GET OUT, and finally taste freedom...

That was what Rex was thinking, all the way as he let go of the windowsill and freefell. 

He just had to catch the windowsill PERFECTLY...

He reached out a second too late.

And Rex fell...

All the way...

Down.

The last thing he heard before blacking out was a big, nasty - CRUNCH!

———

**June 14, 2024**

**South Bricksburg**

 

Rex ended up in the hospital.

His parents had been frantic as soon as Ms Scratchenpost had told them what had happened. Rex had been found unconscious, only alive because he’d landed on Surfer Dave’s old mattress he’d been planning to throw away.

Funny how that worked.

The mattress hadn’t protected him from ALL the fall damage, of course. He was still in the hospital for a concussion and a very broken left leg.

For the third time that year, Rex was in a cast. And it SUCKED just as much as the other times. The lack of freedom was just as suffocating as beinbon apartment arrest for a week.

On top of THAT, his parents had grounded him for the rest of the MONTH. Apparently, escaping the apartment and free falling to his near death WASN’T something he was supposed to do when he was grounded, let alone EVER.

Rex hated everything that had come from his plan. If he’d actually MADE the landing, and caught the window like he’d PLANNED, he would be at the museum with a RAPTOR by now.

Stupid Dave.

It was all his fault.

Well, it was due to him Rex was even ALIVE, but still, he wouldn’t have had to land on the mattress if Dave had just given him the car in the FIRST place.

Stupid Surfer.

———

**June 14, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

”So your brother got sentenced to a month, huh?” Benny said, shifting his position on the bench. It was way too cold to be in the courtyard, but nobody cared.

“Yep.” Emmet replied, looking at the community garden that had somehow been approved for INSIDE the apartment building two years ago. It was full and green now, but that meant it attracted bugs. 

Emmet hated bugs almost as much as he hated pigs, and he HATED pigs with a burning passion.

”How’d that happen? I thought he was, like, ALREADY on apartment arrest?” Benny asked, swinging his feet. He was already eleven, had been for a week, and he was the most overactive eleven year old you’d ever see.

“Tried to, I dunno, escape using only the windowsills from the sixth floor?” Emmet said. He hadn’t been given all of the details, since his parents had shoved him with Benny’s family lightning-fast in order to rush Rex to the hospital.

He was never given any of the details.

It wasn’t like he CARED, though. He was just fine being left out of all of these things. Too many complications with being in the loop.

”Oh, that’s my mom! Gotta blast!” Benny said suddenly, shaking Emmet out of his thoughts. Emmet waved as the boy bounced away, following his parent to the building’s exit.

Emmet was left there, alone for not the first time this week. Or month, actually. His parents were so busy making sure Rex stayed out of trouble that he was sometimes... forgotten. Like the second child they didn’t know they were gonna have but had anyway.

It felt like that a lot.

Emmet was thinking about that when he noticed something on the ground in front of the bench. 

It looked like a seed.

It had probably been kicked from its home in the garden by another one of the residents. The seed looked strange. Like it was out of the ordinary.

Emmet looked around, making sure nobody was looking when he reached to pick it up.

It felt rough. The thing was a brownish color, just waiting to be put in the dirt and grow.

Enmet suddenly wanted to plant it.

It wasn’t like anybody would judge him for it, right? Planting a random seed he found? People did weird things like that all the time.

Thsi was HIS special seed, and it would be HIS special plant.

Rex wouldn’t be able to ruin this for him.

 Emmet would make sure.

 

 


	3. I’m a one night too long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Emmet goes against his morals and Rex writes a short story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate 100 hits, here’s part three!!

**June 14, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

It was against everything Emmet thought the stood for when he went to steal a pot to put his seed in.

Like, he was supposed to be the  _good_ kid. The not-Rex one that never got into trouble. Not on purpose, anyways. It was like Emmet’s job. 

He went to steal the pot anyway, but he was feeling anxious all the way. 

What if people FOUND him? They’d put him in the same category as REX, and Emmet didn’t want that, not one bit.

He was the good kid, and now he was going to steal a pot.

It was for good reason, of course: the seed he’d found was HIS, and it needed a special place to live. After Emmet stoke the pot, he’d find a place to hide it so Rex would NEVER be able to ruin it and-

“Emmet?! What’re you doing here?!” 

Emmet jumped, shaken it of his thoughts. “Aack!!” He yelped, turning to face the person who’d called him.

It was Eren, another part of the building’s other set of twins. He had thick round glasses, a stark contrast to his brother’s sunglasses.

His nickname was Good Cop.

Like how Rex liked to be called that instead of Ryan, Emmet guessed, the twins didn’t like their actual names. So they took up the ropes of being the apartment building’s resident cops, and the nicknames had a reason to stick ever since.

”Oop! Sorry!” Good Cop said, waving his hands in a non threatening manner. “Didn’t mean to startle you!”

Emmet smiled. “No problem.”

Good Cop was silent for a few seconds before speaking again. “So, like, why are you in my dad’s storage closet? Specifically, why are you holding that pot..?”

Emmet froze. He’d forgotten that the closet he’d found all the pots in a few minutes ago was Good and Bad Cop’s dad’s closet.

As in, he was going to have to steal from the resident officer’s family.

”You okay, buddy..?” Good Cop asked, looking at the pot and then at Emmet. “You didn’t answer my question before-“

He was stopped when Emmet suddenly bolted past him, out of the closet, and to the stairwell.

”HEY!” Good Cop yelled, starting to chase the runaway thief.

Emmet was long gone by the time he reached the stairwell.

”Rats.” Good Cop said, waking back to his apartment. How was he gonna tell us dad that he’d let one of the Brickowski Brothers steal his PRIZED pot? The one he’d gotten by winning the hardest game at the garden fair?

There was only one thing to do.

Enlist the help of special forces.

———

**June 14, 2024**

**South Bricksburg**

 

Rex had, so far, spent sixteen hours stuck in a hospital bed. For all the talk the doctors were having about kids being flexible and bouncing back from injury quickly, he sure wasn’t feeling any BETTER.

He felt worse, honestly.

It was bad enough that he was confined to a cast on his left leg. What sealed the deal on this poop-fest was that he’d been EXTRA grounded.

For a MONTH.

His parents hadn’t been too pleased when he came to in the hospital bed, saying things like ‘he should’ve stayed put’ and ‘why would you try to escape through a window’. He didn’t know, he hadn’t been listening.

The whole thing stunk.

And Rex hadn’t even been given anything to help relieve his boredom. Just a few sheets of lined paper where he was supposed to ‘reflect on his choices’ or something. Again: boring.

Whenever the doctors would come in to check on their ten year old patient, they’d say things like, ‘why haven’t you written anything?’ like they thought he CARED.

Which he didn’t. 

Tired of being scolded on not reflecting, Rex decided to take action. This was about eighteen hours into his bed arrest.

He was going to reflect, all right.

But his reflection would be about what would’ve happened if he was SUCCESSFUL. Like he SHOULD’VE been.

It was going to be his Rex-flection.

He liked the sound of that.

 

Three hours into his Rex-flection, the  doctor came in to check on him again.

”So what have you accomplished, Ryan?” He asked, looking happy that the boy was actually writing.

Rex smiled, as fake as he could make it, and handed the doctor his paper.

It wasn’t done and it was ALREADY better than anything Emmet could EVER make. He was too much of a scaredy cat to put this much AWESOMENESS into his work.

The doctor happily took the paper, simply as he started to read.

He stopped smiling, naturally, when he got to the part where Rex stole the raptor from the museum and smacked the curator in the face. He was full on frowning when he got to the part where Rex was awarded his new name as a galaxy defending archaeologist, cowboy, and raptor trainer.

Rex didn’t care.

No, Rex Dangervest didn’t care.

It was so, so awesome when the doctor decided to let him go with crutches, and when the doctor referred to him as Ryan Dangervest- that was the best part.

Hey, if writing got him out of the hospital faster, it had to be worth SOMETHING, right?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note, the chapter titles are lyrics from Imagine Dragons’s song Polaroid!


	4. I’m a come on too strong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rex proves he deserves his name and Emmet is the main suspect in a building-wide pot robbery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go, a shorter chapter!!

**June 15, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

”What  _happened_?” Eric, Good Cop’s brother, exclaimed. He’d been called to the scene of the crime: his dad’s gardening closet, where the prized pot was gone.

”I don’t know, Bad Cop.” Good Cop said, shuffling his feet. “The brother just came and went, no warning. Just stole the pot.” He didn’t want to tell his brother the truth; he was kinda known to have a horrible temper. His nickname wasn’t Bad Cop for nothing, after all.

”So which brother was it? The dirty one or the clean one?” Bad Cop asked. The Brickowski Brothers were pretty hard to tell apart by the naked eye, so many residents resorted to using small telltale signs to seperate the two. In this case, Rex was the ‘dirty one’ and Emmet was the ‘clean one’.

”The clean one. Emmet.” Good Cop answered, pointing to the stairwell at the end of the huge courtyard. “Got out there.”

That was where the culprit had escaped. 

“Why’d you call me here if he’s already GONE? You do know dad’s gonna be pissed if his FAVORITE pot is GONE?” Bad Cop said, his anger showing.

”Temper, buddy.” Good Cop said. “I didn’t call you here alone.”

Behind the twins, loud stomping could be heard. Only one person in the building stomped that loud on purpose- Metalbeard.

Now, Metalbeard was the oldest of the kids in the apartment building. Almost thirteen. And he was the one who you would call if you had a situation that needed some serious manhandling to be dealt with.

The reason?

He was very freaking BIG.

Big and STRONG.

They didn’t call him the sole operator of the building’s special forces for nothing. He was the special force you called; the answer when you REALLY were in a pickle.

Good Cop and Bad Cop, at the moment, we’re in a gigantic pickle.

“Problem?” Metalbeard asked. He liked to get right down to the problem and not waste any time when it came to special forces things. He was pretty serious for a twelve year old.

”Code Brickowski, I’m afraid.” Bad Cop said, shifting his sunglasses to allow more light to be blocked. Metalbeard was wearing his SWAT Halloween costume and, for some reason, it reflected a HECK to of light.

”Eh, I got this. Dealt with that before.” Metalbeard said before searching the scene. “Stolen pot? Which brother?”  

“Emmet, for a change. Turns out Rex broke his leg. Wonder how it WASN’T broken before already.” Bad Cop explained, shaking his head. “Those two really are the same.”

Good Cop frowned. “You’re really gonna put the brother that’s actually pretty nice to be around in the same category as his BROTHER when he probably stole the pot for... a good reason?” He believed in second chances. 

Rex had taken, like, ten thousand second chances, so he didn’t count. But Emmet hadn’t taken one before. Ever. So he at least deserved to be treated fairly, right?

Good Cop was still thinking when Bad Cop an Metalbeard rushed over to the stairs, probably heading to the only place Emmet would be- his apartment.

Oh, well. He’d convince them to go easy on the kid. He was only ten, after all.

———

**June 15, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

Rex Dangervest hated being trapped in his apartment.

It wasn’t even FUN when he knew his brother could go anywhere he PLEASED, a because he was ‘good’ or something. It didn’t help that Emmet chose to stay in the apartment. He was hiding or something, Rex didn’t care.

It was all stupid.

He was on CRUTCHES, and on top of that, he was grounded for the rest of the MONTH. What kind of punishment was THAT? Just because he’d tired to escape the apartment? Because he’d broken his leg?

Nothing was fair for him.

Emmet was probably in their shared room, thinking about what he would do now that Rex wasn’t there to ruin everything for him. Rex just thought that because, well, EVERYONE hated him, so why not his BROTHER?

Rex’s parents would tell him every time that it was just the pain medication making him like this, all overreacting and stuff. But he saw through their games! They were ALL faking it! And Rex Dangervest would PROVE it or his name wasn’t Dangervest!

The first thing he needed to do was find evidence.

Quiet as he could, Rex grabbed his crutches and swung himself to a standing position. He then walked to the bedroom he and Emmet shared- the place he’d prove nobody liked him anymore. Including Emmet.

He opened the door a sliver, careful not to make a sound. Looking inside, he could just barely make something out: Emmet, on the bottom bunk of their bed, placing something into an empty pot. Rex had seen him carry it inside earlier, saying something about how it was his and his alone.

He hadn’t been bothered to listen before. Now, he was all ears.

Emmet was whispering things to himself. Like a weirdo or something. Rex leaned closer to the crack, trying to catch even the smallest of sounds.

_”Rex won’t ruin this... this is all mine...”_

Rex stopped listening when he captured that one sentence.

It was all the evidence he needed.

Emmet didn’t care.

Just because he’d gotten stuck on apartment arrest, crutches, and now he didn’t like him anymore! It was like Emmet was just his fake brother, something to hold a place so that the building didn’t fall apart or something, and-

Woah.

The pain meds really DID do something.

They made him believe he didn’t deserve to be called Dangervest if he didn’t get evidence! That was it!

”Guess what! I AM Rex Dangervest, and screw you!” Rex yelled to nobody in particular, shaking his fistbin the air. He wobbled on his crutches, but he didn’t care. He deserved his name now!

He deserved his name.

He-

He fainted.

Rex fell to the floor, unconscious.

Okay, then.

Maybe the meds did something more... drastic that Rex first thought. 

 

 


	5. All my life I’ve been living in the fast lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the special forces finally find Emmet... and the pot thief has no idea what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao I really wanna finish this plot line but Lightning Before The Thunder is like,,, mocking me?? like yea I know I’m  
> ignoring ya!! just let me write you!!

**June 15, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

All it took was one CRASH from the living room to encourage Emmet to come out from hiding.

He’d planned to stay barricaded in his shared bedroom until he was sure that the special forces squad had given up trying to find him. That had been what he was doing when he heard Rex open the door. 

His brother hadn’t been very graceful when he tried to open the door. Rex had been given some pretty strange pills to keep the pain from his leg at minimum, and it turned out that Rex’s brain got very... _scrambled_ under the influence of it.

So scrambled that when he tried to peep on what Emmet had been doing (He’d been talking to himself. It was pretty pathetic but, hey, he didn’t care at the moment.), he said, OUT LOUD, “Aaawwww... yeah! Hee- doesn’t like me? That means...”

Rex had stopped in the middle of his sentence to walk back to the living room. Emmet, at that point, had buried the pot in the closet of the bedroom under his neon orange shirts, and pressed his ear to the door.

That was when he heard the crash.

To be truthful, it was more of a WHACK. Emmet wasn’t sure, but it was probably Rex’s head hitting a table as he fell. Fell? Oh, yeah, he probably fainted. The doctor said the medicine would have that type of effect on a ten year old kid.

Emmet took one last look at the closet- making sure his pot was fully hidden- and opened the door. He exited the bedroom for the first time in two hours, and crept down the hallway.

He was almost completely sure that Rex’s ‘fall’ alerted the special forces of his prescence.

Like, Emmet knew that Good Cop, his brother, and Metalbeard were outside. He’d been peeking through the hole Rex had made in the wall last summer, and it looked like they were pretty impatient to get the pot back.

Emmet turned into the living room, and, like he’d expected, Rex was there, in full view. His limbs were sprawled out, and Emmet was pretty sure he’d have to stay in the cast for a lot longer now.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Emmet jumped. The sound was comi from the other side of the door. Someone was KNOCKING, and LOUDLY.

”Special forces! We’re here to take back the thing you stole!” From the other side, Emmet could tell it was Bad Cop yelling. His voice had... a certain ‘serious’ quality that made him infinitely more intimidating than an eleven year old should’ve been.

”Seriously, buddy, you gotta open the door! Metalbeard’s gonna have to get rough if ya don’t!” Good Cop said, a little less loud than his twin. Emmet was pretty much panicking at this point, since the special forces were at his FRONT DOOR.

They were here and Rex was still unconscious on the floor. What would that do for his reputation? (Well, he HAD stolen a pot, but... this was EXTREME.)

It was then, in his moment of crisis, that Emmet had a eureka.

Just stuff Rex in the closet, and they won’t see him, right?

Okay, to be fair, it wasn’t this best idea. Not by a long shot. But it was what he had, the only thing keeping him from the reputation of his brother, and he had to TRY.

So, quietly, all while the banging in the door became louder and louder, Emmet grabbed Rex’s right arm. Then his left. Then he heaved the taller (By, like, half an inch.) twin up off the floor and started to drag him to the bedroom. 

The trek across the living room and through the hallway seemed a lot longer when Emmet was carrying his brother. Usually, he crossed it in like, one leap. Now? He was trying desperately to go quickly, but it wasn’t. Working.

It was at the very moment Emmet decided to just stuff Rex through the bedroom door and slam it shut that Metalbeard crashed through the front door.

How could a twelve year old even BE that strong?

Emmet sure didn’t know. He freaked, literally launching Rex into the room and closing the door so fast the apartment shook. What was he gonna do?

What was he gonna-

“FREEZE!” 

Emmet screeched, turning around at the speed of light. 

The whole special forces squad was in his living room. And they... didn’t look too happy.

Emmet really wished he hadn’t found that seed now.


	6. Can’t slow down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there’s a pot robbery confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will emmet keep the pot or will thsi whole first plot be for nothing?? We’ll see!!

**June 15, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

”PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!” Bad Cop yelled, voice somehow echoing in the tiny apartment. He adjusted his sunglasses, took out his makeshift police badge, and waved it in Emmet’s face. “I’ll have you know I can and WILL kick your BUTT if you don’t cooperate.”

”Isn’t that a fake badge, though..?” Emmet asked, hands waving in the air. It was true; Bad Cop’s badge was a craft project he’d make in third grade to kickstart his whole Cop phase. Good Cop had followed suit, and that all led to... this.

”Do I  _have_ to explain these things to you? You’re just a little  _kid_.” Bad Cop snarled, putting away the badge. 

“But he’s only one year younger-“ Good Cop said, only to be interrupted by Metalbeard who said something along the lines of: “If you want to keep your head, don’t question your brother.” Good Cop shut up then, because he was gonna listen to the eldest in the room if not anyone. Good Cop was, in other words, smart.

Emmet wasn’t that smart.

”You’re literally ELEVEN. I’m ten! What’s the difference?” Emmet said, trying to back away into the hallway. He stopped, of course, when Bad Cop gave him the nastiest glare in history. (Which shouldn’t have been possible since, y’know, sunglasses, but Emmet wasn’t about to question it.)

” _Did you just question my authority_?” Bad Cop said, voice lower than any eleven year old’s should’ve been. Meaning, it was really really REALLY low.

Even Metalbeard was impressed, and he was the twelve year old in the SWAT Halloween costume. “Dang, your voice can go-“

”YES IT CAN!” Bad Cop interrupted, trying to get back to the whole reason the special forces had broken into the Brickowskis’ apartment in the first place.

”Where’s the pot, thief?!” Bad Cop said, turning to face Emmet. He’d managed to back away an impressive two inches in the time Bad Cop was focused on his partners, but it was no use. Spotlight was on him now.

“I don’t have the pot..?” 

Darn it. 

It was always in times like  _this_ when Emmet did stuff like... that.

”Of course you have the pot, Emmet. I literally saw you steal it.” Good Cop said, adjusting his glasses. “You couldn’t have, like, lost it or anything?”

”Uhhh...” Emmet blanked out again, which was bad, since Metalbeard and Bad Cop were starting to actually STRETCH OUT now. That only meant they were ready to get physical, and WHAT KIND OF KIDS DID THAT?!

Bad Cop wasn’t having any of Emmet’s contemplation. So he just started yelling. “GIVE US THE-“

That was when Rex woke up.

You see, Emmet had stuffed Rex in their shared bedroom just before the forces had broken into his apartment. He’d been the victim to pain medication that made him a bit tired, and a fainted Rex on the floor wasn’t something Emmet wanted the special forces to see. 

So Rex woke up, casted leg in the completely wrong position if it were to heal properly, sore basically everywhere, because Emmet had literally thrown him into the bedroom.

”OW?!”

Everyone could hear when Rex said that in pain, because hey, that’s Rex, and Rex is LOUD. The loudest ten year old you ever did see. Or hear.

”Huh?” Good Cop said, looking towards the hallway and at the bedroom door. “Was that... Rex?”

”N-no! No Rexes here!” Emmet said. It was the most obvious lie ever, but he tried. Key word: tried.

He tried because in the bedroom was Rex. Rex was in the bedroom, the place Emmet had hidden the POT. The very thing he’d been trying to hide.

One hundred times DARN IT, because now the forces were going to the BEDROOM, and Emmet couldn’t DO anything about it!

Why didn’t anything ever go as planned for him? 


	7. I’m a rolling freight train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a pot robbery catastrophe comes to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaa have another one

**June 15, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

”Why do you have... a  _corpse_... in your bedroom..?” Good Cop asked, fiddling with his hands. It wasn’t his fault that Rex kinda looked like a dead body at the moment; when you just passed out from pain meds a few minutes ago AND were chucked into your bedroom only to land on your broken leg, you’d look like you were supposed to be six feet under.

”He’s not dead!” Emmet said, scooting around the crowd circling Rex, whose eyes were now wide open, to stand in front of the closet. Good Cop didn’t notice his movement, instead focusing on the fact that the person he’d just assumed dead was  _staring_ at him.

”AAAAAUGHH!”

It was the scream of the ages that Good Cop let out that day. Nobody in the history of the apartment, in the history of Bricksburg itself, could ever beat it.

Well.

Except, maybe, Emmet. (He was an exception. He screeched like that daily.)

“What the HECK?!” Bad Cop quickly moved to cover his brother’s mouth with his hand. “Do you want the whole APARTMENT to know you’re a wuss, huh?!”

Good Cop shakily shook his head from behind his twin’s hand. 

“Should we get moving? Like, get Rex outta here and find the pot?” Metalbeard suggested. He’d been ready to do some raiding for a WHILE now, and all this stuff was making him pretty... bored.

“Nonono!! Don’t do that! Anything but that!” Emmet said suddenly, backing closer to the closet door and coveri more of it with his body. “Why can’t we just talk about this..?”

”We can’t just TALK about this, dude. You stole my dad’s favorite pot and we need it back!” Bad Cop said, grabbing Rex’s arm and pulling him up.

”Hey! I can do things mysEEELF-“ Rex said as he face planted in the floor, clutching his left leg. You know, the one in the cast. 

“Yeah no, Metalbeard’s gonna take you to the living room or something.” Good Cop said, looking to the twelve year old and then to Rex. “You don’t wanna permanently damage yourself or something.”

Metalbeard, looking pretty bummed about being on ‘take the kid away’ duty, picked up the injured ten year old. Rex protested, a LOT, but the bigger kid tuned it out in order to rush to the living room, drop Rex on the couch, and rush back to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

By the time that was done- meaning, 20 seconds- Emmet was restrained on the floor by Bad Cop while Good Cop was searching the closet.

Things happened really quickly, huh?

”What happened?” Metalbeard asked, taking over restraining duties from Ava’s Cop. Emmet, who turned out to be a pretty good protester, was almost on the same levels of annoyance as his brother. As in: “Heyheyhey!! Don’t do that!!” Over and over and over again.

“You wanna stop struggling or do you want us to mess up your bedroom?” Bad Cop asked from where he was looking through the closet, shuffling around some of Rex’s old stuffed dinos. (He’d never let them go from his sixth birthday party.)

”Ya don’t have to go THAT far!!” Emmet said, trying, to no avail, to escape the big SWAT kid’s iron grip. Like seriously, what kind of kid was THAT strong?!

”Uh, yes, we DO. You stole-“

”Yeah yeah, I stole your dad’s pot, you told me the whole story, I was THERE.” Emmet said, finally done struggling. Instead, he was filled with a strange sense of... frustration. Like he was channeling his inner Rex.

(Rex would’ve been proud if he hadn’t been sprawled out on the living room couch, struggling to reach the TV remote.)

”What’d you just say?” Good Cop asked, looking back. He’d been genuinely surprised Emmet was even able to... DO that.

”I said, you don’t have to SAY that, I’ve been told I’m a no good dirty thief for FOREVER the past day, and for what? Because I stole a pot? And was gonna return it after like a month?” Emmet said. He wasn’t done. “Rex steals and never returns all the time, yet you focus on the bad things I do because apparently, I’m the ‘good’ kid and have to be a role model, huh?”

Nobody said anything for thirty seconds.

”Huh?” Metalbeard said, letting go of Emmet’s arms.

”Pfft, you don’t even understand when I get MAD?” Emmet said, fully Rex at the moment. “Take your stupid pot.”

It was like a switch had been turned. 

A few seconds ago, Emmet had been sunshiny, yet a little annoyed. Now? He was Rex 2.0, a spitting image.

”You two are birds of a feather, huh..?” Good Cop said to break the silence Emmet had left them in with the anger comment.

”I’M NOT, FOR THE LAST TIME, REX!” Emmet yelled, getting up from his pinned down position. “Stop comparing me to him! I’m my own person, why can’t  you understand that?!”

”You want to be understood as your own..? Metalbeard said, slowly stopping as Emmet reached into his pocket.

He pulled out a seed.

”I was gonna plant this in the pot. Just to show you all that I’m not just the good version of Rex. I thought if I was, maybe, the ‘plant’ kid, you’d stop calling me ‘The Good Rex’ behind my back. I wanted thsi to be my OWN. Something that was just mine.” Emmet said. He turned to Bad Cop, ad placed the seed in the boy’s hand.

”You can have it. It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?”

Once again, nobody spoke.

Emmet took that as his chance to pout  to the door- a sign to LEAVE.

The squad took the sign.

What would they do... with THAT information?

Emmet had just told them what he’d been thinking for a LONG time, and what were they going to do to fix it..?

Bad Cop looked at the seed in his hand.

And he had a eureka moment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s the end of the Pot Robbery plot, my phones dying see you for the next part lmao


	8. One more time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rex hats a haircut and... it’s not pretty.

**June 22, 2024**

**North Bricksburg**

 

”Remind me why people ever let you get a haircut all by yourself?” Unikitty said. She was walking Rex, who had snuck it of the apartment and all the way to North Bricksburg, the ‘fancy’ part of town, home.

”People never  _let_ me. A lone wolf does things himself.” Rex said, glaring at his smaller escort. She acted all high and mighty when she was around HIM, sure, but when Emmet was the one? Noooo, she was the nicest person in Bricksburg.

”You’re a dumb lone wolf, but I’ll let you off the hook this time.” Unikitty replied, smiling. Last month she’d turned eleven and she never really was the same. She was ‘nicer’ now. It was, apparently, her new virtue.

Rex thought it was a load of horse crap.

”Says who?” Rex said. “You’re not the boss of me and I’m an AWESOME lone wolf!”

”You rapelled off an apartment building, at 10 in the morning, walked all the way to North Bricksburg, all to  _shave your head_.” 

“A lone wolf needs to do these things, y’know!” Rex yelled. (He got quieter when people started to stare at the nearly bald kid and his neon-pink clad friend walking down the street.) “Besides, it’ll help people know the difference between me and my idiot brother.”

Unikitty’s mouth shot wide open. She was so shocked that Rex said that, in fact, that she stopped walking down the sidewalk. Rex did, too, and said, “What?”

 “You called Emmet an idiot!”

”So?” Rex said. 

“ _So_?” Unikitty replied, a bit louder than before. “He’s your brother! You can’t be mean like that!”

Rex scoffed. “Listen. When you have a sibling, all that talk about morals and the golden rule or whatever goes out the window. As far as I’m concerned, Emmet’s the twin that my parents didn’t want.”

Unikitty’s mouth went even MORE open at that statement. “WHAT?!” She yelled, not caring that the same people were giving the two strange looks.

”You heard me. I’ve heard my parents talk, and they’ve both said how they were only expecting ONE kid.” Rex paused to begin walking again. “It just so happens that I think I’m the one they really wanted.”

Unikityu followed Rex. “That’s a really mean thing to say! You’re supposed to be nice to your brother! Erin and Eric would NEVER say those types of things-“

”We’re NOT Good Cop and Bad Cop, okay?!” Rex shouted, starting to walk a little bit faster. “How did we even get to this topic? I thought you only cared about my haircut!”

”Of course I care about your god-awful haircut, Ryan! I just also care about the way you treat your brother!” Unikitty said, skipping to keep up with Rex.

Rex sighed. “Since she did anyone call me Ryan? It’s Rex, and you KNOW it.”

Unikitty smiled. “Oh, I’m sorry, Ryan, but I didn’t know about your special name calli circumstances.”

”YOU SHOULD KNOW THEM BETTER THAN ANYONE!” Rex yelled, feeling relief when he saw the apartment building come into view. “You were the FIRST one to change what you called me!”

”I guess so.” Unikitty said, suddenly going into a sprint, bolting into the building.

”HEY!”

”Loser gets to the fifth floor last!” Unikitty managed to project her voice far enough for Rex to hear.

Rex allowed himself a small smile.

It was  _on_.

———

**June 22, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

That wasn’t the last Unikitty had to say about Rex’s new, terrifying haircut.

When she beat him to the fifth floor (Because she cheated and used the elevator) she unleashed a whole new set of... ‘insults’.

She was really too nice to be really insulting, but it still kinda hurt Rex. A little bit.

Especially the part about how cutting his head off would look better than his shaved head. Granted, it probably would’ve, but Rex thought he was doing GOOD when he got the haircut. He didn’t steal the money for no reason. He was just tired of being mixed up with Emmet.

Speaking of Emmet...

Emmet didn’t even react to Rex’s haircut. Rex didn’t know what was UP with him. Usually, he would’ve at least told him that it was a good haircut, but today he didn’t even get a reaction.

He hadn’t really given ANYONE any reactions for the past week. Ever since the special forces break in- when Rex had been plopped on the couch- something had been... tuned off.

Rex didn’t know what it was.

Oh, well. At least he wasn’t wearing that stupid cast anymore.

Rex Dangervest now had a semi-cool haircut (the coolness had gone away with the insults), a freed leg, and...

A brother that didn’t react to his haircut.

Okay, real talk. He’d gotten the haircut for identification purposes, yes. But there had been another reason.

Emmet always reacted to these types of things.

Rex just thought that if he did this, then his brother would be back to normal. Everything would go back to normal.

But it didn’t.

And Rex hated it.

 

 

 


	9. Gotta start all over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bad Cop decides to fix a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bad Cop is a good friend uwu

**June 23, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

“I know I’m not supposed to be talking to a  _seed_ , but darn it, why are you doing this to me?”

Bad Cop didn’t know what to do. He’d felt like his sanity had been going downhill for the past WEEK, and the only thing he had to vent his frustration on was... a seed.

He knew exactly WHY he needed to vent on a seed, yeah. The seed was one of the root causes of his problems at the moment. But it still didn’t ease his uncertainty that he was, in fact, sane.

Could you imagine it? A cop, eleven, going insane? All because someone had given him a seed and he didn’t know what to think of it?

Bad Cop faced the seed, which he had placed on his table.

He put his hands on either side of it, and tied to put his mind in interrogation mode. (He was interrogating a SEED now. Great.)

”What do you WANT from me?!” Bad Cop yelled at the seed, it’s oval shape vibrating a bit from the way Ava’s Cop slammed his hands on the table.

Wow, if Good Cop had been here, he’d have put his to rest on the couch. Good thing he wasn’t, and he was busy with... whatever he was doing. His twin wouldn’t tell him where he’d been going in the morning, and Bad Cop’s frazzled mind had been too dizzy to ask.

”Please, just tell me what you want!” Bad Cop yelled, a bit quieter this time. 

No reply.

Well, duh.

It was a seed, an inanimate object that would only begin to turn to a tree when it was planted in soil. It could talk to Bad Cop, and Bad Cop wouldn’t be taking to it.

But he was.

Why?

Why...

Bad Cop suddenly had the answer.

It all had to do... with the person that gave it to him. 

Duh. He’d been thinking about that answer for the past week. But he hadn’t confirmed it until... last second.

Confirmed later or not, Bad Cop knew why he was like this.

He needed answers. And guess what? He didn’t get them. So, naturally, he resorted to yelling at the closest related thing to the problem. In this case, a seed.

The seed that had been given to him as he was rushed out of an apartment. 

The one doing the given had just, at that moment, poured out his heart about the way he felt.

He’d been feeling like a nobody because everyone just classified him as the ‘good’ version of his brother, not his own person.

Which was why he stole the pot; he thought that if he had just one thing that his twin didn’t have, then maybe he’d finally be considered his own individual person.

He stole the pot to become an individual... 

But why did he give it AND the seed to Bad Cop, the part of the special forces that had broken through his door?

Why was Emmet Brickowski so complicated?

Bad Cop sighed. It was no use thinking about it when the only thing close to the answer had been one sentence, saying something like how the seed wasn’t of any use anymore. Bad Cop didn’t remember.

He stared at the seed for the third time that morning.

It was MOCKING him.

Somehow, the seed was mocking him.

”What? You want me to come up with a way for Emmet to feel better again-“

That was when Bad Cop had his eureka.

(Yes, he’d had one when Emmet gave him the seed. But... throwing the seed away wasn’t a very good plan and it had been scrapped in the first 30 minutes of Bad Cop’s descend into insanity.)

This eureka was different.

He wouldn’t just ignore everything that Emmet had tried to say.

He would fix the problem at the source.

And it all started... with getting a pot for this stupid seed.

Bad Cop groaned as he took the seed and stuffed it in his pocket. One way or another, the two would have to ‘work together’ to make Emmet his usual sunshiny self.

The last week had been tough with Emmet seeming not like himself.

Bad Cop wanted to make things right.

”What do I do..?” He muttered to himself. 

The answer was tight in front of him.

”Oh, god. Here we go.”

Bad Cop exited the apartment five minutes later with a plan, a plant seed of indiscriminate origins in his pocket, and his dad’s favorite pot under his arm.

He was crazy, all right.

But he was crazy with a  _plan_.

 


	10. Can’t slow down (x2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rex- and by extension, Good Cop- hide out in a stairwell and meet a newcomer.

**June 23, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

”Are you absolutely, one hundred percent sure there’s gonna be a new person?” Rex prodded, for the five hundredth time that day.

Good Cop was  _nearly_ at his end of his patience. Not quite, but Rex was very good at making people lose their minds.

 Very, very good. Basically a professional.

”Look, buddy, could you maybe... trust me? After all, I’m still disappointed in myself right now.” Good Cop said.

Rex scoffed. “Disappointed for WHAT? Eavesdropping? Pfft, I do that all the time! You gotta let loose, man!”

”Says a ten year old.”

”Hey, I’ll have you know I’m probably more mature than you and your brother combined-“

Rex and Good Cop both stopped their second-rate argument when suddenly, they could both hear something- or someone- coming up the stairs.

It didn’t help that they had been hiding out in the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse at the newcomer. If there was one.

”That’s definitely not anyone we know.” Good Cop said.

”And how would you know?” Rex said. “Can you tell who someone is from their footsteps?”

”Yes, actually. For example, you step with the subtlety of a T-Rex on a tightrope.”

Rex frowned. “Coulda at least called me a raptor.”

”This isn’t the time! Someone’s coming and we need to leave!” Good Cop said quietly, hearing the person coming closer to their hiding spot.

”What if it’s NOT a new person though? Then you’re just being an idiot.” Rex said, his reply to Good Cop trying to shove him out of the way harsh.

”I’m older than you, aren’t I?” Good Cop said, finally starting to crack under pressure. Yeah, Rex was a professional at this.

”I don’t see how something as stupid as-“

”Who’re you? And why are you... here?”

Rex and Good Cop, for the second time, stopped dead.

The person was new, all right.

Very new.

Good Cop gave the newcomer a look. It was a girl, young- probably about Rex’s age. She had highlights on her hair, bright and neon. She didn’t look like she was from any part of Bricksburg, let along Central.

Rex gave her one look, and decided he liked her.

After all, she WAS wearing a space shirt. And Rex loved space almost as much as he loved dinos. (Keep in mind: the ‘like’ was completely platonic. Definitely. One hundred percent.)

He was probably unconfident because his hair had been SHAVED OFF. 

Rex regretted his decisions, every one that led him to the North Bricksburg barbershop, and formulated his words.

”You’re new right?” Rex said quickly, shoving his hands in his pockets. He was deflecting the newcomer’s question. For some reason, he wasn’t as confident as he always was at the moment.        

”Yeah.” The girl replied, looking both of them up and down. “Do you guys like... live here?”

”Yep!” Rex said, a little too eager.

Good Cop immediately knew what was going on. He didn’t say anything because hey, he was the GOOD a guy here.

”Cool! Can you tell me where I can find... 1208? That’s what my parents said is our apartment.” She asked, a smile on her face. She thought she had found some normal, nice people. Apart from the fact that they were hiding out in a stairwell.

“Up the stairs like, four more stories and you’re there, I think! That’s where the-“ Rex turned to Good Cop- “Is that where the 1000s are?”- “the 1000 numbered apartments are!”

”Sure?” The girl asked. Good Cop smiled. “Yeah! We know the ins and outs of this place! Lived here for yeeeeeears!”

”BY THE- by the way!” Rex said loudly as the girl was about to walk further up the stairs. “What’s your name? Mine’s R- RYAN!” Rex cut himself off to give her his official name. For some reason.

”Mayhem!” The girl said. “Just call me Mayhem.” She smiled and walked up and away.

Rex was slept there, stunned.

Good Cop stood right next to him. “Did we even ask her why her parents let her out alone already? They don’t know how ‘safe’ it is yet, do they?”

”Uh huh.” Rex replied, not listening to Good Cop’s question. “S-see you later! I gotta... do something!”

And he was gone, racing up the stairwell.

Good Cop laughed and shook his head.

It wasn’t every day you saw Rex Brickowski with a crush.


	11. I’m a lone red rover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there’s some competition between lovestruck kids.

**June 24, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

Benny knew he was crazy the moment he saw her. Crazy  _for_ her, that was.

He didn’t know why. 

Maybe it was because Mayhem loved space almost as much as he did. Maybe they just... clicked? Was that how you said it?

Benny and Mayhem had clicked from the moment they locked eyes.

At least, Benny thought they did.

He’d been entranced by her face at the moment.

Not too entranced, though.

Because guess what?

He’d seen what Rex looked like when he caught up to her.

The same as he had felt.

And it, honestly, made him... a bit mad.

 

Rex had seen what Benny’s expression had looked like as soon as he got on top of the floor Mayhem now lived in.

What kind of kid fell in love with someone he was ALREADY cool with? Who did that?

 Someone who didn’t understand just how badly Rex Dangervest could wreck someone up, that was who. At the moment, Benny was either goin to BACK OFF or get wrecked by the awesome power of... a Brickowski.

Because apparently, the Bricksowskis had some sort of ‘reputation’ at the apartment. Rex had been told it was due to his constant... behavior, but that OBVIOUSLY wasn’t true. 

Who would tell Rex he was anything other than awesome?

Who would tell his family he was terrible to be around?

Probably everyone in the apartment, basically.

But that wasn’t the point!

The point was that Rex likes someone that Benny was IN LOVE with and that was UNACCEPTABLE!

Completely unacceptable.

 

Benny and Rex stared at each other. Well, it was more like a glare, but nobody was looking. Except Mayhem.

”Are you two... glaring at each other?” Mayhem asked, looking at both of them.

”No.” Rex said, glaring even harder at Benny.

”You are, though?” Mayhem said. “I can practically hear you glaring.”

”We are NOT glaring at each other!” Benny added. 

“Yes... yes, you are.” Mayhem said. “If you’re looking at each other like THAT, anyone can label it a glare.”

”BUT WE’RE NOT!” Both of them said at the same time. 

“OKAY OKAY! You’re not glaring!” Mayhem shouted. “Dang, is this what y’all are like?”

Rex and Benny stopped glaring at that moment and looked at the girl in front of them. They wore very confused faces, more confused than they were when Emmet and Unikitty had a ping pong battle on an ice skating rink. (Don’t ask.)

”Huh?” Benny said. It was more of an animal noise to be honest, but... he said it.

”You people are crazy! What’s the matter? Why are you always so... MAD at each other?” Mayhem said, crossing her arms. Her disposition had changed in an instant. Kinda like how Benny could... change his.

“We’re not-“

”OF COURSE you’re mad! And you only just hot into the room with each other! It’s like you’re two characters in a book that can suddenly tell what each other is thinking, and suddenly feel the same things for the sake of the plot!”

Rex frowned. “That was oddly specific.”

”I’m an oddly specific person.” Mayhem said, then turned around and walked the rest of the way down the hallway.

She just left Benny and Rex there to think. 

Had they just ruined their chances with her? Most likely. Any sane person could see that. Even a ten year old.

Unfortunately, one ten year old didn’t seem to get the message.

Rex was going to make Mayhem like him or die thing.

Benny thought the same thing.

At this rate, they were both going to die trying.


	12. I’m a midnight talker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there’s a talk between parent and kid, and a plan is completed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lil emmet protection squad 2k19

**June 25, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

”What do you mean, you aren’t happy?”

Alex looked at her son. It had been a normal day and she’s asked him a normal question: are you okay? It was the only right thing to do when your son had been acting off lately, right?

She hadn’t been expecting Emmet to say no.

Emmet was the twin that, no matter what, always had a smile on his face. It didn’t matter what you did to him, he would always bounce back. So why was he now just becoming... unhappy?

What happened?

”I’m not.” Emmet replied, looking at his bottom bunk. He didn’t look his mom in the eye.

”Why aren’t you happy? We could work something out-“

”How could you work  _anything_ out, mom? You haven’t fixed ANYTHING at all!” Emmet yelled. He NEVER yelled at his parents.

Alex knew now that something wasn’t just wrong. Something was VERY wrong with Emmet.

”Okay, what happened, mister?” Alex asked. She really wanted to know. 

“Rex happened.” Emmet mumbled, looking up. His eyes... were sad.

Alex knew she was the parent that wasn’t the best at opening up her kids. It was really Liam that could get them to talk. But with him away on a business trip... she had to do what she had to do.

 “How exactly did Rex happen?” Alex said. Emmet was being really cryptic for a ten year old.

”Rex happened in every BAD way!” Emmet said. And all of the sudden, the floodgates were open. “He’s the bad kid, which forces me to be the good one! Nobody cares who I am, they just know that I’m the twin of the worst kid in the building! I hate it! It hate it!” Emmet was starting to yell.

Alex pulled him into an unexpected hug. “Aack-“ Emmet said before his face was covered up by his mom’s hands. 

“Quiet, ok? You need to calm down. We can fix this after you do.”

Emmet frowned. “We’ll never fix this.”

Alex smiled. “Not true! We can fix anything we put our minds to!”

”I don’t-“

There was a knock in the front door.

Alex looked up. Emmet did too.

”Can I take this?” Alex asked her son. He nodded, and pulled away from her embrace. 

Alex stood up and exited the room. The person at the door knocked again. Ge walked closer, and the person knocked again. Okay, this person was REALLY persistent.

Alex opened the door.

There was nobody there.

To be honest, she had heard when whoever knocked on the door rushed away. It had been really obvious. And she could even see Bad Cop at the corner of the intersecting hallways, lookin directly at her with her peripheral vision. She didn’t let him in on what she knew.

There was something on the floor at her feet. Bad Cop had probably put it there.  On the floor in front of the door was a plant pot. It was filled with dirt and looked like something had been planted in it.

Alex picked it up. Taped to the side was a note. It read:

_Take the pot and the seed. You’re gonna be known as the plant guy or something. I know, because I’m a master of nicknames and I’ll start the trend. Just don’t steal anything anymore, got it?_

_Bad Cop (Eric)_

Was this the thing Emmet had been talking about?

Alex sure didn’t know.

”Hey Emmet! Someone gave you a pot and a seed!”

Alex could hear the sound of footsteps, rushing to the door. Emmet came quickly, and practically knocked the pot out of her hands.

He he looked so surprised... yet so happy.

Alex wondered why.


	13. Oh, I’m an alley walker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there’s an unspoken thing and Rex is mad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhhhhhhhhh help

**July 1, 2024**

**Central Bricksburg**

 

”What’re we gonna do about this... unspoken thing?” Benny said to Mayhem.

It had been a while since Mayhem moved in. A few days.

Benny had her.

Rex didn’t.

”What unspoken thing? There’s no unspoken thing.” Mayhem said, looking away. “I’m not sure we’re supposed to be in this balcony, space man.”

”You’re great at keeping this thing under wraps, huh?” Benny said. “And I told you, my dad practically OWNS the top of the building. Nobody’s gonna kick us out.”

”We’ll see about that.” Mayhem said.

”You’re just changing the topic so you don’t have to talk about whatever’s going on between us, right? That’s totally what I’m seeing right now.”

”I’m not changing the topic and if you say that somethings between us one more time I’m gonna leave.”

”But there is something between us?” Benny said.

Mayhem turned to the stairwell.

”Wait wait wait!” Benny said, grabbing her arm. “I didn’t think you were actually serious!”

”You have a lot to learn about me if you think I wasn’t completely serious.” Mayhem said. “How else am I gonna be a general if I’m not serious about the things I say?”

“You’re pretty serious about this stuff for an eleven year old.” Benny said.

”You’re pretty serious about picking me up for an eleven year old.”

Benny let go of her arm. “Ya got me there.”

Mayhem smiled. “That’s more like it!”

———

Rex hated Benny.

Well, he didn’t exactly hate Benny himself. He just hated what Benny DID.

He stole Mayhem.

To be truthful, neither of them had her when he took her, but that wasn’t the point. He should’ve known that Rex liked her first!

He KNEW.

Benny knew and he took her anyway. How flirty could an eleven year old GET, anyway? It was sickening how flirty Benny could get. Like, he completely abandoned his personality in exchange for... dumb flirts.

AND IT WORKED.

Mayhem was basically with him now.

There was some sort of unspoken thing between them. It was unspoken because Rex was always near, and they didn’t dare confess near him.

At least they were smart like that.

(Well, they did get together, so maybe not that smart.)

Rex was gonna find a way, though. To get with Mayhem. Because for once...

Hed found someone that didn’t look like they scold him for everything wrong he did.

Someone COOL.

Benny wouldn’t know what hit him.

**Author's Note:**

> next chapter when? Idk I’m lazy lmao probably soon but eh


End file.
